Electronic Editions of Early Modern Drama, RSA Conference, Venice, April 8-10, 2010 (Deadline: May 15, 2009)

In his 2007 Shakespeare Survey article, John Jowett commented that "the extent to which scholarly electronic editions will transform Shakespeare study remains to be seen," and that "at the end of the twentieth century" the role of the electronic edition "remained, at most, supplementary to the print edition" (4). This panel seeks to assess Jowett's claim in light of a growing number of projects to produce electronic editions of early modern drama, and to ask whether the electronic edition is still (or indeed, if it ever was) supplementary to the print edition.

Planned as part of the 'New Technologies in Renaissance Studies' sessions, this panel welcomes abstracts (approx. 200 words) for papers (15-20 mins) on any topic related to electronic editions of early modern drama. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

-- the function of the electronic edition -- the role of the editor/publisher/reader -- editorial theory and electronic practice -- the technologies, standards, and methods employed -- the incorporation of multimedia content -- issues of copyright, archiving, and sustainability -- issues of access (open or subscription) and authority -- integration and interaction between editorial projects